Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain
Platforms must verify users’ ages and block under-16 accounts, with fines of up to 10 million ringgit for noncompliance, regulators said.
- On Monday, Malaysia began enforcing rules requiring major social media platforms to verify users' ages, barring children under 16 from registering new accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission implemented the Child Protection Code following a series of violent incidents authorities attributed to online activity and gaming platforms.
- Platforms must implement "age verification measures" against government records such as passports or MyKad; non-compliance could result in fines reaching 10 million ringgit, or about $2.5 million, the MCMC said.
- While many parents support the move, critics argue that requiring government IDs for verification creates privacy issues, and Benjamin Loh, social science lecturer at Monash University, noted that age-based restrictions have yet to prove consistently effective.
- Tech firms are currently working to meet these requirements, though Clara Koh, Meta's director of public policy for Southeast Asia, cautioned that a "blanket ban" could drive teenagers toward unregulated corners of the internet.
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In Malaysia, too, a social media ban applies to children and adolescents under the age of 16.
Malaysia bans children under 16 from using social media
Malaysia on Monday began enforcing rules barring millions of children younger than 16 from having social media accounts, joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Not all families approved, and critics raised concerns about data protection and potential surveillance. Social media platforms with at least 8 million users in Malaysia, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, must implement age-verification systems and…
Malaysia bans social media accounts for children under 16 but questions remain
Malaysia has started enforcing rules to prevent children under 16 from having social media accounts. This decision is part of a global effort to enhance safety protections. Platforms like Facebook and TikTok must implement age-verification systems. Existing users identified as…
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